Free diabetes education and screening program in the Wareham community
| For Immediate Release | Contact: Joyce Faria Brennan |
| October 4, 2007 | 508-961-5270 |
| brennanj@southcoast.org | |
 Get this release in Word format |
|
WAREHAM, Mass. — The Southcoast Diabetes Management Program will be presenting a free diabetes education and screening program on Friday, October 26, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Wareham Elks Lodge, 2855 Cranberry Highway, East Wareham, Mass.
"Jump into Diabetes Control" will be presented by Southcoast Hospitals' Certified Diabetes Educators (CDE) and will outline diabetes pathophysiology, self management and emotional issues. Educators will test blood glucose levels of individuals, provide educational materials, initialize self-management strategies and the importance of following up with a health care provider. Vendors will also be available to demonstrate the latest products in diabetes health such as glucose meters, insulin and patient diabetic supplies.
No registration necessary, walk-ins welcome. Refreshments will be served.
"Early screening, diagnosis, education and treatment of diabetes can make a dramatic impact on both the economic and the human cost of the disease," said Geraldine Santos, RN, MSN, Certified Diabetes Educator and Team Leader for the Southcoast Diabetes Management Program.
"Many high-risk individuals are not seen regularly by a health care practitioner for screening, education or treatment and therefore go undiagnosed. Statistics show that 17 percent of individuals with diabetes living in Massachusetts have not seen their health care provider within the past year," Santos said.
The Southcoast Diabetes Management Program has been awarded a $5,000 grant from the Makepeace Neighborhood Fund in support of diabetes education and screening programs in the Wareham community.
Southcoast Hospitals Group Diabetes Management Program is nationally recognized by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) for its state-of-the-art quality of diabetes self-management education programs. The program offers diabetes self-management education for Types 1 and 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes mellitus. The cost of the program may be dependent upon your insurance coverage.
Classes are offered at all three hospital sites on the following topics: Basics of Diabetes, Gestational Diabetes, Glucose Monitoring, Lifestyle Changes, Medication Management, Nutrition, Survival Skills and Weight Management. For more information, call the program in your area:
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Fall River / Charlton Memorial Hospital
508-679-7143
New Bedford / St. Luke's Hospital
508-961-5430
Wareham / Tobey Hospital
508-273-4173
About Southcoast
Southcoast Health System, a not-for-profit charitable organization, is a community based health delivery system with multiple access points, offering an integrated continuum of advanced health services throughout Southeastern Massachusetts and East Bay, Rhode Island. It includes Southcoast Hospitals Group, formed in 1996 from the merger of Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham.
Southcoast has more than 40 ancillary facilities, including the Southcoast Health Van, home health care, hospice and infusion services, numerous outpatient medical services, an assisted living facility and a wellness center. For more information visit www.southcoast.org.
Southcoast is one of three community hospitals approved by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to perform open heart surgery and primary angioplasty beginning in Spring 2002.
Media Contact
Joyce Faria Brennan
Public Information Officer
Phone: 508-961-5270
Pager: 508-387-9605
Fax: 508-961-5876
brennanj@southcoast.org
